MoD secrets exposed in major cyberattack

Secrets of the Ministry of Defence have been exposed in numerous cyber security incidents last year.

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Secrets of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been exposed in numerous cyber security incidents last year, the media are reporting this Monday.

According to Sky News, who has seen MoD’s reports, a total of 37 incidents were recorded last year. The MoD, but also the National Cyber Security Centre, are laying the blame on the Chinese – the cyber espionage group that goes by the name APT10.

We don’t know what damage – if any – the breaches caused, as the reports were redacted to hide the outcomes. According to the MoD, publicly disclosing this information would give too much intelligence to its adversaries.

The MoD said it would "provide potential adversaries with valuable intelligence on MoD's and our industry partners' ability to identify incidents and react to trends. Disclosure of the information would be likely to increase the risk of a cyber attack against IT capability, computer networks and communication devices," the ministry added.

The incidents come in different shapes, it was added. In some cases, information was being sent unprotected, so anyone eavesdropping on the internet traffic could have easily picked it up. In other scenarios, information that was labelled as ‘SECRET’ was left unattended in accessible areas.

In two incidents, mobile phones and laptops were being taken over the pond. Some breaches were so severe that even the title was redacted.

The ministry declined to confirm to Sky News whether it had been victim to successful computer network intrusions by hackers, stating: "The MoD takes the security of its personnel and establishments very seriously but we do not comment on specific security arrangements or procedures."